How do you rate a city? A good memory? The food? Its beauty? The first time I landed in Paris, I fell hard. I loved the art, the tree‑lined streets, the river, the metro, the food and markets, and even the people (yes, I mean Parisians). Twenty‑three visits later, I still love Paris. Barcelona was the same. Since then, there have been many other cities I’ve been smitten with, a small number of places that bored me, and a very small number I couldn’t wait to leave. Most sit somewhere in the middle, with moments…
Australia
Tag Archives for Australia.
8 Fantastic Train Trips That Made My 2025 Unforgettable
Trains, for me, are one of the most interesting, practical and romantic ways to get around the planet, and I love them more than I love planes (and I love planes a lot). I have ridden railways now on every inhabited continent, and in 202,5 I added these eight beauties: #1. Flåm Railway, Norway “the best train ride in the world” (Lonely Planet) I captured 161 photos on one of the most beautiful train journeys I have ever taken. The line climbs 864 metres from the Fjord to the mountain, twisting through 20 tunnels, including…
One of the World’s Most Remote Train lines: Australia’s Prospector
Western Australia is huge: it is about ten times the size of the UK and almost four times the size of Texas. Only around 3 million people live in the state, and roughly 2.2 million of them are in the capital, Perth, while the UK has about 67 million people and Texas has around 31 million. Only two intercity train lines remain in this massive state, and my goal has been to ride both of them; Perth itself has an eight‑line suburban rail system, which I have travelled in full. Today I finally got to…
A Personal Message in light of the Bondi massacre
Today’s post is a very personal one and I have wondered whether to post at all, but this is my blog, so here goes. I have written previously here about my experience four months ago when I was caught in a mass shooting at a local market in Bangkok. The news from Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, of course, took me straight there. Add to that a few other traumas in my travel through war or conflict zones (Nigeria, El Salvador and the Middle East!), and it all lands heavily. I ve been to Bondi…
Revisiting the Market Shooting: Memories, Fear and Hope
Today’s post contains images and descriptions about extreme violence. Reader caution is advised. I wrote previously about how I was unwittingly caught up in a mass shooting at Bangkok’s premier market: Or Tor Kor. Its been six weeks since Monday 28 July, a day I will never forget. On that day, a gunman killed five people before turning the gun on himself. I left Thailand a few days after that event and now I was back on my current RTW trip. Back in the city, I retraced my steps at the market, Steps that I…
12 Secrets to Staying Human on Long Flights
I talked yesterday about my 203 “long-haul” flights over eight hours. That works out to around 20 weeks inside a metal tube flying around the world. I have learnt a lot in that time. Here are my top tips. Any other long haul survival tips? Related Posts
Two weeks in the Air: My Best and Worst Airlines of 2024
Last year, I spent almost two weeks of the 366 days in the air with 29 different airlines. My 99 flights covered 124,000 miles (ca. 200,000 km), taking me to 65 airports across 28 countries. Some trips were memorable for their exceptional service that was so good, I (almost) didn’t want to get off the plane. Others highlighted air travel “challenges”. In my life, I have now logged 3.8 million kilometres in the air (2.4 million miles) with 128 airlines. As I have logged everything, including a rating of every airline, flight, and aircraft I…
Epic Asia Adventure: Four Countries, 16,000 Miles in June
June was a month with a lower number of flights compared to other months! Just eight flights across Australia and Asia for a total of 26,000km (16,000 miles). I spent time in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney in Australia; Tokyo in Japan; and Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Here’s my month… Flights City Highlights Airline Experiences Five airlines took me around this month-fewer than the ten I flew with last month (May 2024) Chasing the neworld Dream: Two of my goals for 2024 are to Where did you find yourself in June, 2024? Related Posts
Stranded? What To Do When Your Airline Collapses
Question: “How do you create a small airline?” Answer: “Buy a big one and wait for a couple of years.” Boom boom! The airline industry is very volatile, as many thousands find out every year. I have flown 125 airlines since 1968. Of those, 41 do not exist anymore. Names such as Air Berlin, Alitalia, Ansett, Malev, and Pan Am no longer grace the skies. This year: Last year, we saw the demise of Aeromar, Air Moldova, Flybe, Flyr, Go First, MYAirways, Niceair, and Viva (full list and background information at link). If you or…
Maximising Qantas Double Status Credit deal to my Benefit
Being an Aussie based flyer, almost one-third of my 1585 flights have been with the Australian carrier, Qantas. In addition I have flown every current and past One World carrier! This volume of flights means that I have achieved Qantas Gold for Life status (equivalent to One World Sapphire) in the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. I have also been Qantas Platinum (One World Emerald) for nine of the last ten years (I slipped one year). This status earns me a level of One World Priority benefits, which includes priority check-in, airport lounge access, priority boarding,…
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